Pabst, a boxer mix, crowned World’s Ugliest Dog over a field of Chinese cresteds

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A new champion has emerged in the competitive world of ugly-dog exhibitions. Pabst, a 4-year-old boxer mix, was crowned World’s Ugliest Dog at the annual event held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in northern California on Friday.

Pabst, like many of the event’s competitors, is a rescue dog -- owner Miles Egstad of Citrus Heights, Calif., adopted him from a shelter three years ago. He’s named for the well-known cheap adult beverage because, Egstad said, he had a ‘bitter beer face.’

Pabst’s win was something of an upset for the competition, now in its 21st year, which often appears to favor members of the Chinese crested breed. ‘Hairless’ Chinese cresteds (which aren’t truly hairless, as tufts of fur sprout from their heads, feet and tails), with their tendency toward dental issues that cause their tongues to stick out, are typically World’s Ugliest Dog shoo-ins. (Chinese cresteds also come in a coated variety known as ‘powderpuff,’ and hairless and coated puppies can even be born in the same litter. Understandably, however, the powderpuffs aren’t the regular victors in the Ugly Dog competition that the hairless dogs are.)

Pabst emerged from the event’s mutt class to beat Miss Ellie, the winner of the purebred class, in a runoff for the title of Ugliest Dog. Even Egstad was surprised by Pabst’s upset victory. ‘I don’t think he’s that ugly!’ he said.

Miss Ellie, a 15-year-old Chinese crested with cataracts and few teeth, is a rescue-dog ambassador who travels to schools and adoption events promoting pet responsibility. ‘When I adopted her she wasn’t housebroken and at 7 years old didn’t know a single command,’ her owner, Dawn Goehring of Gatlinburg, Tenn., wrote of the Ugly Runner-Up. ‘Seven years later she is still not housebroken and still does absolutely nothing!’

More photos of the competition after the jump!

Miss Ellie’s owner, Dawn Goehring, reacts during Friday’s competition. Miss Ellie doesn’t seem to react much at all. ()

Goehring holds Miss Ellie aloft after winning the contest’s pedigree division. ()

Miles Egstad poses with Pabst after the boxer mix’s win Friday. Pabst won a total of $1,600 in prize money ($1,000 for being named World’s Ugliest Dog and a combined $600 for wins in the earlier rounds that advanced him to the finals), a dog-modeling contract, a trophy bigger than heis, pet supplies, and a professional photo shoot with L.A.’s own Grace Chon of Shine Pet Photos. ()

Pabst shows off his underbite during competition. ()

Pabst’s underbite in closeup. ()

A Chinese crested named Spam-O-Rama sits on the red carpet before the start of competition. ()

Spectators react to a Chinese crested named Rascal before the start of the competition. ()

Miss Ellie celebrates her win in the pedigree class. ()

-- Lindsay Barnett

Top photo: Pabst at the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest. Credit: Noah Berger / Associated Press